Vapourlites electronic cigarettes

IT seems everyone is turning against electronic cigarettes lately. And by everyone, I mean no one – no one worth listening to at least. With the EU, self-satisfied medical chiefs and privatised rail companies, coming out tacitly in favour of actual, cancer-causing cigarettes, by trying to ban these potentially life-saving devices. Rail companies have ludicrously claimed ‘vaping’ would “normalise” smoking and have banned them from trains and stations. Idiots. Copper-bottomed idiots. Rail companies banning steam… the irony! Anyway, as electronic gaspers go, Vapourlites are some of the best of the bunch. I know I have reviewed other e-cigs in the past, but they are a product I believe in and one of the best inventions of modern times in my view. Vapourlites’ slant on the now fairly standard design is sleek, clean and tidy. And the ‘vaping’ experience is realistic and satisfying, though fairly light. Freeloader House took delivery of a trial disposable e-cig and a rechargeable USB one. I enjoyed them immensely and would heartily recommend them. Obviously the company makes no such grand claims, but I think they sell themselves short – they’re product just might save (or at least prolong) your life. Stick two fingers up to the idiots in thrall of the tobacco companies and keep vaping!

Sacla pesto and pesto sauces

Being quite the connoisseur of la grub Italiano, thanks chiefly to Sacla for their supportive a freebie-friendly ways I was eager to try the firm’s latest exciting products. 

As they rightly say Italian cooking is all about celebrating the best seasonal produce, cooked simply.

And Sacla’s new pestos and pesto sauces will help make even the least dab hand in the kitchen, into a pouting Saatchi-divorcing culinary goddess like Nigella.

And the company’s delicious recipe for Piemontese Peppers is perfectly in keeping with that spirit.

Replacing the traditional anchovy with Sacla’ Classic Basil Pesto, the wonderfully simple recipe takes two of the most famous northern Italian ingredients – peppers and pesto – and combines them to make a dish that’ll have you mamma mia-ing in no time.

Here’s the recipe: 

Ingredients

 4 large red peppers, halved and seeded

4 tomatoes, cut into quarters

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

4 tbsp Sacla' Classic Basil Pesto

5 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small handful fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas 4.

Arrange the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish. Tuck the tomato pieces inside the cavities of the peppers along with the garlic. Spoon in the Pesto, then drizzle with the oil.

Season with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes, until the peppers are soft and tender and very slightly golden at the edges – be careful not to let them burn (lower the heat if they look like they might be cooking too quickly).

When ready to serve, spoon over the juices and scatter with fresh basil leaves.

Join Sacla’ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/SaclaItalianFoodLovers or visit the website www.sacla.co.uk

·         Do you have something I can freeload? Email me shamelessfreeloader@hotmail.co.uk

Emmi Caffe Latte

Coffee is a hot drink right? Wrong.

Those boffins at Emmi have come up with a concept of serving the bean-spewed beverage cold.

And wonderful it is too.

Available in a variety of flavours from rich cappuccino, smooth latte, creamy caramel, flat white and tasty vanilla, they really do have all bases covered.

A wad of vouchers arrived at Freeloader House recently, entitling your's truly to five of these delicious beverages… but, owing to a supermarket deal, the coupons were good for six units – another victory for the Freeloader!

So after parting with the odd 13p (the difference in the amount covered by the vouchers and the price)  I was good to go.

And, after a heavy night, I put Emmi Caffe Latte to the test first thing the next day…boom!

I had been inducted into the Wide-Awake Club.

The drink itself was smooth, tasty and authentically coffee

Not content with proving a morning pick-me-up however, the company has also come up with a cocktail recipe using one of it beverages as the base for a potent party-starter.

The ‘Skinny Rhumba’ can be made using 35ml of golden rum half a cup of Emmi Caffe Latte Skinny and half a banana.

And best of all the livener weighs in at just 180 calories… not to mention the ‘nana making up one of your five-a-day!

• For more go to www.facebook.com/emmicaffelatteuk or follow on Twitter: @UKCaffeLatte
• Do you have a product I can freeload? Email shamelessfreeloader@hotmail.co.uk and follow on Twitter @thefreeloader1

Domino's Pizza - Hot Dog Stuffed Crust and the Curious Case of the Missing Sausage

This post explores the curious case of the missing sausage.

Those legends at Domino’s Pizza furnished Freeloader HQ with a voucher for their spectacular new hot dog stuffed crust pizza. 



My hot dog-free pizza



Hungry one eve last month I called my local Domino’s, placed my order for a large meaty hot dog stuffed crust, and awaited delivery.

The pizza arrived quickly, in under 25 minutes, and as I salivated at the prospect I rushed indoors to open it and gaze upon its magnificence.

Alas, all was not well, it took me a couple of bites to real



ise what was wrong.

Then it hit me like a freight train – where was the hot dog?!



Yes, dear readers, there was no tasty German sausage nestled within the rim of my, admittedly already meat-engorged, repast.

“Where is my sausage?” I bellowed, alone in my kitchen, as salty tears welled in my incredulous eyes.

Needless to say I was unimpressed.

But it is always darkest before the dawn, and salvation lay in the delivery driver’s haste to furnish another hungry diner with a Domino’s delight.

For he had forgotten to collect my gift voucher.

And, let’s face it, I had been sent the

voucher to review this new concept, and review it I would.

So, this month I picked up the phone again, and placed my order again.

What followed was an agonising, but again thankfully short, wait.



Domino's epic hot dog stuffed crust pizza



A knock at the door, a helmeted driver large flat square box in hand, it was de ja vu all over again.



I handed over the voucher… there was now no going back.

I opened the box, and relief washed over me like an awesome wave.



There, inside the crust lay my elusive sausage

.

And ketchup.



And mustard.

It was literally a huge hotdog around the entire circumference of my pizza, a Frankenstein’s monster of culinary genius.

Even Heston Blumenthal would struggle with this kind of culinary alchemy.

It tasted delicious and was worth the wait.

I’d heartily recommend it.

Roll on Domino’s next experiment.



How to get free perfume or aftershave

This 0.04 fl oz (1.2ml for our Continental amigos) container of Davidoff’s ‘The Game’ may not look much, but it represents another freeloading triumph.

For many a year I have popped into Debenhams, Boots or another shop stocking scent to ‘freshen up’ before a night out, gratis of course.

But it seemed that while this was freeloading per se, there was nothing tangible.

A couple of weeks ago I rectified all that.

Here is how to get free eau de toilette/perfume/aftershave:

1.      Loiter around the scent aisles, spraying, sniffing, generally reading the labels.

2.      Innocuously invite a member of staff over (most likely they will come to your aid anyway, asking if you need any help with the terribly taxing task of spraying smelly stuff on your wrists/neck/armpits/nether-regions).

3.      Enquire about the product you want to freeload; ask the price, availability, sizes on offer.

4.      State clearly that you’re not in the market for buying today, but that you’re considering a purchase in the near future.

5.      Now you have hopefully gained the perfumier’s trust, close the deal – ‘the deal’ is obtaining free samples. Ask whether they have any for you to take away to help you make your mind up.

I did this and left with an ample handful of Davidoff ‘The Game’, which is great by the way.

The samples I got have lasted me well since, and I look forward to my next visit.

Happy freeloading.      

Yorkshire Gold teabags

By ‘eck, ‘appen I’ve only bin sent 80 teabags from the reet nice folks at Yorkshire Tea.

Yes, it is true, last week Freeloader House took delivery of a consignment of Taylors of Harrogate’s finest – Yorkshire Gold.

And what a cuppa it is, but I’ll come to that in good time, consider the next few paragraphs as a metaphorical bag-brewing.

Firstly the packaging transports one to a world of rolling hills, playful sheep and dry-stone walls, flinty folk drinking ale, and obviously tea, and if one cocks one’s ear in a particular direction; the sound of leather on willow wisps on the wind, as another hardy gentlemen thwacks a six over the bowler’s head.

It is like Emmerdale, but with all sexual deviancy taken out.

Or like Midsomer Murders minus the murders – a Hobbit-like realm of simplicity and joy.

Ah, I think our metaphorical teabag has been submerged long enough.

The dark reddish liquid in my mug is now begging, gasping for the last ingredient – milk – I don’t take sugar, as I’m sweet enough.

I add a small amount of semi-skimmed to the cup and after stirring am left with a fine, balanced and beautifully-brewed mug of nut-brown tea.

And the complex rich cuppa certainly hit the spot, I had it with a nice slice of ginger cake… here’s to the other 79 bags!

• For more information go to http://www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/
• Do you have something I can freeload? Email me shamelessfreeloader@hotmail.co.uk
  
  

Ring of fire meltdown pizza from Domino's Pizza

With hated January nearly at an end and diets and detoxes running out of steam as the frost bites, why not warm up with something spicy?

And you don’t get much spicier than a stuffed crust ring of fire meltdown pizza from Domino’s.

This bad boy was seemingly crafted from molten lava!

Toppings on this hot tamale include meatballs, jalapenos, and English mustard.

I was challenged to eat one of the beasts, and being a fan of fiery foodstuffs I was only to happy to accept.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: “Fancy a challenge? How are you with hot food? “Perhaps you’d like to try our Meltdown pizza – it’s our hottest yet.”

And I can attest it was a spicy one, but being iron-gutted and asbestos-mouthed I managed it, and it was delicious.

So, if you can’t be bothered to cook and fancy pepping up your evening, the ring of fire meltdown pizza is a must!

 Visit www.dominos.co.uk for more details

• Do you have something I can freeload? Email me: shamelessfreeloader@hotmail.co.uk